Devotional Space for Grace | Are You in the Doldrums? (b) | 11.8

Jim

Active member
Bible Challenge
Oct 5, 2020
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LOST and FOUND
Are You in the Doldrums? (b)



Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me
and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him,
for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God.


Psalm 42:5, AMPC



When feeling lost, all at sea, we tend to fall into two easy traps:


Trap 1. Focusing on our circumstances? We look at the ferocity of the storm and sink in fear. We think, “
God helps those who help themselves – so before anything I must do all I can to sort this out myself.” Stop! First focus on Jesus, our Saviour, remind ourselves of who He is, what He has done and is doing, because he helps those who cannot help themselves! (Heb 7:25) After all, didn’t Jesus say “Come to ME [not more MEetings] and find rest”? This is a personal connection.

LOST and FOUND 8b image.jpg


Trap 2. Focusing on our feelings? How much better to dwell on the reassuring restful presence of Jesus. Our feelings will fluctuate but Jesus admits no change in His affections; your heart is not the compass Jesus sails by (Heb 13:8,20-21).


Martin Lloyd Jones wrote in his book “Spiritual Depression”, “We are given our temperaments. Again, our temperaments are different and that is also of God. Yes, but it must never be true of us as Christians that we are controlled by our temperaments. We must be controlled by the Holy Ghost. You must put them in that order. The moment the Holy Spirit enters in, He controls everything including temperament and so he enables you to function in your own particular way through your temperament. That is the miracle of redemption. Temperament remains, but temperament no longer controls. The Holy Spirit is in control.” See
here.


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Believe in Christ more than your feelings